The Prostate Cancer Survivorship Program provides specialized follow-up care for patients who have completed surgical treatment for localized prostate cancer. Patients who participate in this program are seen every 6 to 12 months in a clinic specially designed to meet the follow-up needs of prostate cancer survivors. Care is provided by a healthcare provider with expertise in prostate cancer care and survivorship issues. Patients in this program will receive careful monitoring for possible recurrence of their cancer and will have the opportunity to discuss their cancer treatment, its impact on their health, and ways to stay as healthy as possible. Each patient will receive a Survivorship Care Plan – a personalized record of the details of their cancer treatment, with guidelines for continued monitoring, including recommendations for preventive care and information regarding available resources and services. The goal is to help each survivor stay as healthy as possible, and to prevent problems from happening or catch them early, when they are most easily treated. This program is carried out in collaboration with each patient’s primary treatment team and is part of the research program at City of Hope.

Highlights of the Prostate Cancer Survivorship Program include:

The Survivorship Care Plan – a personalized record of your cancer treatment and recommendations for ongoing health monitoring

Follow-up assessments for cancer recurrence

Evaluation for any long-term complications of treatment

Education about methods to prevent new health problems and to stay as healthy as possible

Screening recommendations for other cancers (such as colon cancer), according to national guidelines

An emphasis on healthy lifestyle practices

Referrals to specialists, resources, or services as needed

Communication with your primary healthcare provider and treatment team

Who is eligible for this program?

The following criteria must be met to be eligible for the program: -- A history of localized prostate cancer diagnosed at age 22 or older -- At least one year since diagnosis -- Received surgical treatment at City of Hope -- No current evidence of prostate cancer, or if present, the prostate cancer is in a state of stable disease -- No history of prostate cancer recurrence, progression, or metastasis (spread outside the area of the prostate gland)

Who will I see in the clinic?

Care is provided by a healthcare provider with expertise in prostate cancer care and survivorship issues, who works in collaboration with your primary treatment team and will communicate with your physician if any problems are detected. In addition, referrals are available to the social worker, dietitian, psychologist, physical therapist, or other specialists or services as needed based on your individual circumstances.

What happens at the clinic visit?

You will be seen in the long-term follow-up clinic every 6 months for the first five years after diagnosis, and then yearly thereafter. During each visit, your medical history and any symptoms you are having will be reviewed and you will undergo a physical examination and have a PSA blood test. Digital rectal examinations will be done yearly. Additional testing or referrals may be recommended, if needed, based on the results of your health history and physical examination. You will have the opportunity to discuss your diagnosis, treatment history, and ways to stay as healthy as possible. You will receive a Survivorship Care Plan that includes a written record of your cancer treatment with follow-up recommendations based on your treatment history and specific circumstances. If needed, you will also receive additional information about any treatment-related health problem(s) that you may have, along with recommendations for management of these problems. A summary of each long-term follow-up visit will be sent to your primary healthcare provider and to your primary treatment team, at your request.

What part of this program is research?

You will be asked to complete several questionnaires as part of the research related to this program. These questionnaires include assessment of symptoms that some men may experience as a result of prostate cancer treatment (such as problems with urinary, bowel, or sexual function). Additional questions are asked about your health status, family history, general health, health habits (such as smoking), and general demographic information (such as race and employment). In addition to using this information in research, your answers to many of these questions will be used by the healthcare provider to assist in determining your general state of health.

How is the information about me used in research?

Following your visit, the information you provide in the questionnaires, and the results of your clinic visit (such as PSA level and physical exam findings) will be recorded in a research database. The database is password protected and secure, and is accessible only to personnel directly involved with this study. Information entered into the database will eventually be grouped together with information for other patients enrolled in this study and analyzed, so that any significant findings can be reported to the medical community. Individual patient information will not be identified in any of these reports, and any personal information (such as name or date of birth) will be removed before any of this information is released, published or presented at scientific meetings.

Can I receive all of my medical care in the Survivorship Program?

No, the Survivorship Program does not provide primary medical care. Each patient must have their own primary healthcare provider (internist, family physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant) who is available for day-to-day health care needs. The Survivorship Program team is available for telephone consultation with the primary care provider when needed.

Is there a charge for participating in this program?

Costs for the clinic visits, PSA lab tests, and any recommended referrals or additional tests that are medically indicated based on your health evaluation are considered standard medical care and will be billed to you or your insurance company according to the usual and customary charges. There are no costs associated with the research questionnaires related to this study.

How do I find out more information or find out if I am eligible?

For more information, or to determine if you are eligible for the Prostate Cancer Survivorship Program, please contact Claudia Herrera at 626-471-9221 or email: survivorship@coh.org.

City of Hope combines compassionate care with the best and most innovative science. Our 100+ acre campus is designed to meet the full range of needs of our patients and families. This guide is designed to help you take advantage of all that is offered at City of Hope - Duarte.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma facts: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a cancer that starts in cells called lymphocytes, which are part of the body’s immune system. Lymphocytes are in the lymph nodes and other lymphoid tissues (such as the spleen and bone marrow). Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is one of the most common cancers in the U.S....

Few clinical cancer trials include older adults – and yet, more than 60 percent of cancer cases in the United States occur in people age 65 and older. The result is a dearth of knowledge on how to treat the very population most likely to be diagnosed with cancer. Now, the American Society of Clinical […]

Scientists at City of Hope and UCLA have become the first to inhibit the expression of a protein, called TWIST that promotes tumor invasion and metastasis when activated by cancer cells. As such, they’ve taken the first step in developing a potential new therapy for some of the deadliest cancers, including ovar...

Upon completing her final round of chemotherapy for ovarian cancer earlier this month, Maria Velazquez-McIntyre, a 51-year-old Antelope Valley resident, celebrated the milestone by giving other patients a symbol of hope – a Survivor Bell. The bell may look ordinary, but for cancer patients undergoing chemothera...

Many Americans understand that obesity is tied to heart disease and diabetes but, according to a new survey, too few – only 7 percent – know that obesity increases the risk of cancer. Specific biological characteristics can increase cancer risk in obese people, and multiple studies have shown correlations betwe...

As breast cancer survivors know, the disease’s impact lingers in ways both big and small long after treatment has ended. A new study suggests that weight gain – and a possible corresponding increase in heart disease and diabetes risk – may be part of that impact. In the first study to evaluate weight chan...

Becoming what’s known as an independent scientific researcher is no small task, especially when working to translate research into meaningful health outcomes. Yet that independent status is vital, enabling researchers to lead studies and avenues of inquiry that they believe to be promising. Clinicians, especial...

720 days. That’s how long Alex Tung, 38, had to give up surfing after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. For most people, even some surfers, such a hiatus wouldn’t be a big deal, but for Tung, surfing has been everything. The Southern California resident began surfing when he was in elemen...

There are few among us who have not experienced loss of a friend or loved one, often without warning, or like those of us who care for people with cancer, after a lingering illness. It is a time when emotions run high and deep, and as time passes from the moment of loss, we often […]

For the past four years, neurosurgeon and scientist Rahul Jandial, M.D., Ph.D., has been studying how breast cancer cells spread, or metastasize, to the brain, where they become life-threatening tumors. Known as secondary brain tumors, these cancers have become increasingly common as treatment advances have ena...

Cutaneous T cell lymphomas are types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that arise when infection-fighting white blood cells in the lymphatic system – called lymphocytes – become malignant and affect the skin. A primary symptom is a rash that arises initially in areas of the skin that are not normally exposed to sunlight....

There’s science camp, and then there’s “mystery” science camp. City of Hope’s new science camp for middle school students is of the especially engaging latter variety. From Monday, July 13, to Friday, July 17, rising middle-school students from across the San Gabriel Valley were presented with a “patient” with ...

Women diagnosed with breast cancer quickly learn their tumor’s type, meaning the characteristics that fuel its growth. That label guides the treatment of their disease, as well as their prognosis when it comes to treatment effectiveness. Sometimes, however, doctors can’t accurately predict treatment effectivene...

In years past, Bladder Cancer Awareness Month has been a sobering reminder of a disease with few treatment options. For patients with metastatic disease (disease that has spread from the bladder to distant organs), average survival is typically just over one year. Fortunately, things are changing. Academic inst...

Tina Wang was diagnosed with Stage 4 diffuse large b cell lymphoma at age 22. She first sought treatment at her local hospital, undergoing two cycles of treatment. When the treatment failed to eradicate her cancer, she came to City of Hope. Here, Wang underwent an autologous stem cell transplant and participate...